Yes, vaping can worsen existing acne, but it is not the direct cause of it.
Vaping has become increasingly popular in recent years, especially among young adults looking for a "healthier" alternative to smoking. But while many believe that vaping is safer than smoking, there are still concerns about its effects on skin health while observing vaping skin before and after. One of the most common questions people ask is: Does vaping cause acne? In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at the relationship between vaping and acne, including how vaping can impact your skin, what ingredients in vape juice may contribute to breakouts, and how you can maintain healthy skin even while vaping.
Acne is a skin condition that results in pimples, blackheads, and cysts. It typically occurs when hair follicles become clogged with oil, dead skin cells, or bacteria. This blockage leads to inflammation, which manifests as red, swollen spots on the skin.
There are several primary causes of acne:
So, does vaping cause acne? or Does vaping lead to these skin conditions? The short answer is yes, but it’s more complex than simply vaping and breaking out. The next section will explain in detail how and why this happens.
Vaping refers to the act of inhaling aerosol produced by an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) or similar device. The device heats up a liquid (known as e-liquid or vape juice), which is then turned into vapour. This liquid often contains:
Yes, vaping can contribute to acne. But it’s not necessarily the act of vaping itself that causes breakouts—it’s the ingredients in the vape juice and the way they affect your skin.
To answer the main question: Does Vaping Cause Acne? Let's look at the components of vape juice and see how they will affect conditions of your skin. E Liquids and Vape Juice are the main components of any refillable vape or disposable vape device.
Nicotine is a well-known culprit when it comes to skin health. It reduces blood flow to the skin by constricting blood vessels, which can result in dry, dull, and aged skin. Over time, nicotine can also break down collagen and elastin, two proteins essential for maintaining skin elasticity and firmness. This can cause premature ageing and sagging skin, making the skin more prone to acne and other skin issues.
While propylene glycol is responsible for producing vapour, it’s also a key reason why vaping can lead to dry skin. When you vape regularly, PG can strip moisture from your skin, leading to dryness and irritation, which can trigger acne.
Vape juices can contain additional ingredients, such as flavourings and artificial sweeteners, which can also irritate sensitive skin. Some people may develop allergic reactions to certain chemicals, resulting in skin redness, rashes, or breakouts.
When you vape, you might be touching your face more often to adjust the vape kits, disposable vape or wipe away vapour. This can transfer dirt, oils, and bacteria from your hands onto your face, contributing to acne outbreaks. Always wash your hands before touching your face, especially if you're vaping frequently.
While both smoking and vaping can negatively impact skin health, smoking is generally worse. Cigarette smoke contains tar, carbon monoxide, and many other harmful chemicals that damage the skin. These chemicals age the skin prematurely and lead to conditions like smokers acne, which is a type of acne caused by the toxins in cigarette smoke.
On the other hand, vaping doesn’t involve the same toxic substances as smoking. However, vaping can still cause dryness, acne, and premature ageing. It’s important to note that vaping is still considered safer than smoking, as it doesn’t introduce harmful tar and carbon monoxide into the body.
Read more blogs about vaping and its effects such as Does Vaping Stain Teeth?
Besides the common question: Does Vaping Cause Acne?, there are other misconceptions about the impacts of vaping on skin health. This section will give you the exact answer to any skin-related problems from vaping.
Yes, vaping can contribute to the formation of spots. The dehydration caused by vaping leads to excess sebum production, which can clog pores and result in breakouts. Combined with poor hygiene or touching your face frequently, this can worsen the problem.
Yes, vaping can accelerate the ageing of your skin. Nicotine constricts blood vessels, limiting oxygen and nutrient flow to your skin. This, combined with dehydration from propylene glycol, can lead to fine lines, wrinkles, and a dull complexion. Over time, these effects may become more noticeable.
Yes, vaping can cause dehydration. The propylene glycol in vape juice pulls moisture from your body, leading to a dry mouth and throat. This dehydration can extend to your skin, making it dry and more prone to acne.
Although vaping can be the indirect cause of acne, there are many ways to reduce or avoid these bad effects. With more than 10 years of experience in the vaping industry, WizVape is inspired to give you a sustainable vaping experience. Here's how.
Some e-cigarettes and vape pens on the market may contain harmful substances or low-quality ingredients. Stick to reputable brands and avoid using illegal or unregulated vape products to ensure your skin stays safe. Choose WizVape and gain vaping skin improvement with our authentic and trusted products such as R and M Vape!
One of the key factors in acne development from vaping is the nicotine content in many e-liquids. Nicotine can contribute to dehydration of the skin, hormonal imbalances, and increased oil production, all of which can lead to acne breakouts. By switching to 0 nicotine vape such as Crystal Prime Vape, you can reduce these negative skin effects.
Although vaping has effects on acne, they are much less than smoking. Switching from smoking to vaping can lead to better skin health and avoid smokers acne. It reduces your exposure to harmful chemicals like tar and carbon monoxide, which are known to harm the skin and exacerbate acne. Check out quit smoking vape deals at WizVape for the best prices!
A healthy lifestyle is key to maintaining clear skin, especially if you vape. Eating a balanced diet, staying hydrated, and managing stress can all help your skin stay in good condition. It is always important to keep track or vaping skin before and after.
Does Vaping Cause Acne? Yes, vaping can indeed contribute to acne and other skin issues. The dehydration caused by propylene glycol, combined with the effects of nicotine, can dry out the skin, leading to excess oil production and clogged pores. While vaping is less harmful than smoking, it’s still important to take care of your skin. Stay hydrated, maintain a healthy skincare routine, and consider cutting back on nicotine to minimise the negative effects.
Yes, vaping can contribute to acne through multiple mechanisms: nicotine causes dehydration reducing skin moisture, propylene glycol draws water from skin tissue, dehydration triggers compensatory sebum overproduction clogging pores, reduced oxygen to skin from nicotine constriction impairs healing, and inflammation from vaping may worsen existing acne—though effects vary individually.
Vaping doesn't directly alter hormone levels, but indirect effects may contribute to hormonal acne: stress from nicotine addiction affects cortisol (stress hormone), dehydration and inflammation can disrupt skin's hormonal balance, poor sleep from nicotine affects hormone regulation, and existing hormonal acne may worsen from vaping's skin-drying effects and reduced healing capacity.
Yes, perioral acne (around mouth) is common in vapers due to: direct contact with device transferring bacteria, frequent touching of face and mouth area, concentrated vapor exposure causing local irritation and dryness, repetitive friction from mouthpiece, and propylene glycol residue on skin potentially clogging pores—regular face washing and device cleaning help prevent this.
Yes, vaping can cause breakouts by: dehydrating skin leading to compensatory oil production, reducing oxygen delivery to skin cells impairing healing, causing inflammation that worsens acne, decreasing skin's natural barrier function, and potentially introducing bacteria from device contact—effects are more pronounced with higher nicotine strengths and heavy vaping frequency.
Quitting vaping often improves skin within weeks to months: hydration levels normalize reducing excess sebum, oxygen delivery to skin improves accelerating healing, inflammation decreases allowing recovery, natural barrier function restores, and existing breakouts heal faster—though improvement timeline varies individually, most notice clearer skin within 2-8 weeks of cessation.
Vaping can negatively affect facial appearance through: chronic dehydration causing dryness and dullness, premature aging from reduced collagen production, breakouts and acne from sebum overproduction, uneven skin tone from poor circulation, fine lines and wrinkles developing earlier, dark circles from poor sleep, and potential sagging from decreased skin elasticity—effects accumulate over time.
Vaping can potentially contribute to cystic acne (severe, deep, painful nodules) by: triggering inflammatory response worsening existing tendency, severely dehydrating skin disrupting barrier function, reducing immune response slowing healing, increasing stress hormones via nicotine addiction, and exacerbating underlying hormonal imbalances—though not everyone develops cystic acne, those predisposed may experience worsening.
Nicotine damages skin by: constricting blood vessels reducing oxygen and nutrient delivery, breaking down collagen and elastin causing premature aging, impairing wound healing and acne recovery, causing dehydration at cellular level, reducing vitamin C absorption (essential for skin health), and weakening immune response making skin more susceptible to infection and inflammation.
Yes, propylene glycol (PG) is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs moisture from surrounding tissues including skin, contributing to: systemic dehydration affecting skin moisture content, dry mouth and lips, potential contact dermatitis around mouth area, disrupted skin barrier function, and increased sebum production as compensation—higher PG ratios (50/50) may have more pronounced drying effects.
Yes, vaping accelerates aging through: nicotine breaking down collagen and elastin (skin's structural proteins), reduced blood flow delivering fewer nutrients and oxygen, chronic dehydration causing fine lines and wrinkles, oxidative stress from free radicals, impaired cell regeneration and repair, and decreased skin elasticity—studies suggest vapers show signs of premature aging similar to smokers though less severe.
Skin protection strategies: drink 2-3 liters water daily to combat dehydration, use quality moisturizer twice daily, cleanse face morning and night removing vapor residue, avoid touching face/device to face, clean mouthpiece regularly, use lower nicotine strength (reduces vascular constriction), consider high VG liquids (less drying than high PG), supplement with vitamin C, and maintain healthy sleep schedule.
Vaping is less damaging to skin than smoking but not harmless. Smoking causes: severe collagen breakdown from tar and combustion chemicals, extreme circulation restriction, deep wrinkles and leathery texture, significant premature aging, and permanent damage. Vaping causes similar but milder effects—primarily dehydration and nicotine-related issues without tar's devastating impact—still advisable to quit for optimal skin health.
Yes, lower nicotine strength may improve skin by: reducing vascular constriction allowing better oxygen delivery, causing less severe dehydration, decreasing inflammation, improving sleep quality (better skin repair), and reducing stress hormone effects—gradually reducing from 20mg to 10mg to lower strengths allows skin to recover progressively while maintaining satisfaction.
Skin improvement timeline after quitting: 1-2 weeks—hydration normalizes, redness reduces; 2-4 weeks—active breakouts begin clearing, tone improves; 1-3 months—collagen production increases, elasticity improves; 3-6 months—significant improvement in texture, wrinkles, and overall appearance; 6-12 months—near-complete recovery depending on duration and severity of use.
See a dermatologist if: acne is severe or cystic, over-the-counter treatments ineffective after 6-8 weeks, scarring is developing, acne significantly affects quality of life, or persistent despite quitting vaping. Dermatologists can provide: prescription treatments (topical or oral), professional guidance on vaping's impact, customized skincare routines, and acne scar treatment options.
Get cessation support from: NHS Stop Smoking Services (0300 123 1044), your GP for medical guidance, WizVape for gradually reducing nicotine strengths in quality e-liquids, nicotine replacement therapies, quit-vaping apps for tracking progress, online support communities, and specialized addiction services—quitting or reducing vaping improves skin health significantly along with overall wellbeing.
